Gios Tou Lákkou
by Umbrakinetic
Summary: Lightning Thief AU! Percy has a younger brother. When Zeus's master bolt is stolen, The camp looks to it's Champion Theseus to recover it. Can Percy rise above the shadow of his younger brother and save the day? A much smarter Percy's adventure to change the fate of Olympus. Rated for violence and Character death. Manipulative Percy! Smart Percy! Darkish Percy!
1. We Accidentally Vaporize our Teacher

**A/N: In this Alternate Universe Percy is 10 months older then his brother Theseus (Theo) he was born October 2nd. Characters will act OOC** **especially Percy but that will be explained in the Future. While Percy and his brother are Rivals, Theseus isn't** **an idiot like every other with Percy having a brother. Theseus will be a smart character in his own right he will also not be a complete and udder jerk he won't ever be a model citizen but he won't be entirely two dimensional. Percy on the other hand will be much more manipulative then in cannon and smarter because cannon Percy was an idiot. I came up with this idea by rereading Titan's curse and imagining Percy getting lost in a city in Arizona or something to fulfill the prophecy. Percy will do things like that in this book and twist interpretations to better suit his purposes. While this is a retelling of cannon, the plot will largely differentiate in certain areas due to the ripple effect.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Harry Potter (references)**

 **Part of this book is copied directly from Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief**

My name is Percy Jackson.

I'm twelve years old. Until a few months ago, I was a boarding student at Yancy Academy, a private school for troubled kids in upstate New York.

Am I a troubled kid?

Yeah. You could say that.

Growing up I always knew I was different. When I was 9, I ended up on the Roof of my School when I was 10 I turned my desk into water. After that incident I decided I was a Wizard and eagerly awaited my Hogwarts letter on my eleventh birthday. Suffice to say I wasn't happy when it didn't come. After moving past the heartbreak of not being a wizard. I realized I was something else, something more..

It all began with a Field Trip with Yancy Academy, we were going to a Museum to look at some Ancient Greek and Roman stuff.

While it wasn't quite necessarily my favorite field trip, It was still better then sitting in Class all day. Mr. Brunner, our latin teacher was leading the field trip along with the Pre Algebra teacher Mrs. Dodds.

Mr. Brunner was surprisingly cool for a middle aged man in a wheelchair. He would do historical re enactments of battles in Greek Mythology. He often came to class decked out in Roman Armor and would waive a sword around, there were even a few times he brought wooden swords to class and let us swordfight,

Mr. Brunner always seemed to focus on me and my brother Theo more then anyone else. He didn't seem to get that we had both ADHD and dyslexia. He actually expected us to be better then everyone else, well except for maybe Theo's friend Grover. He was a teacher's pet if I ever saw one, he seemed to spend more time with Mr. Brunner then he did with anyone else, what made it especially odd was that they pretended not to know each other.

Earlier today, Mr. Brunner had actually gotten mad at Theo and me for not knowing why Greek Mythology was at all relevant today. It was almost as if he believed this stuff.

But that would be crazy, no one actually believes in this crap it's a myth, I mused as I sat down on the fountain to eat my lunch. Grover silently sat next to me and Theo sat next to him. Grover always had some weird obsession with me and Theo. He shared a room with the two of us, and always tried to make sure we all stayed together no matter how much I tried to distance myself he was always nearby. It was actually a little creepy.

Unfortunately my lunch was interrupted by Nancy Bobofit dumping her lunch on Grover's lap. Theo shot up in anger and went to punch Nancy. I quickly rose to try to placate him since it seemed every time Theo got in trouble I did too, and I really wanted to make it through the year without being expelled this year.

Theo lowered his fist and I breathed a sigh of relief. I blinked for half a second and I could have sworn the water grabbed Nancy and dropped her in the Fountain as she was now on her butt completely drenched sitting in the fountain. Apparently I wasn't the only one who saw what I did, because I heard some of the kids whispering:

"Did you see-"

"-the water-"

"-like it grabbed her-"

I turned around and saw Mrs. Dodds looming over us.

"They pushed me!" Nancy wailed.

I was so sure it wasn't me this time, but I knew she would never believe me.

Mrs. Dodds turned to glare at us;

"Jackson! Jackson!" She snarled. "Come with me."

"Wait!" Grover yelped. "It was me. I pushed her."

I stared at him, stunned. I couldn't believe he was trying to cover for us.

Mrs. Dodds scared Grover to death. She glared at him so hard his whiskery chin trembled.

"I don't think so, Mr. Underwood," she said.

"But-"

"You-will-stay-here."

Grover looked at us desperately.

"It's okay, man," Theo told him. "Thanks for trying."

He gave us a halfhearted grin, as if he thought we were walking towards our own deaths. I barely resisted the urge to snort at the notion, it would probably just get us in even more trouble. Seriously the worst she could do was expel us, more likely however we would be stuck with detention for at least a month.

"Now!" Mrs. Dodds barked at us.

I turned to face her but she was no longer there. She was standing at the museum entrance, way at the top of the steps, gesturing impatiently at me to come on. How'd she get there so fast?

Theo was hesitant, he kept glancing back at Grover, I didn't know why he would be so worried it's not like we were going to die. I on the other hand kept my eyes glued to Mrs. Dodds I was curious as to how she moved so fast.

Mrs. Dodds vanished before my eyes, she was now standing inside the building at the end of the entrance hall. I found myself suddenly understanding Grover's apprehension. At the time I found myself growing excited perhaps she could tell me how I teleported onto the roof all those years ago.

We followed her into the Greek and Roman section of the museum. Except for us the gallery was empty.

Mrs. Dodds stood with her arms crossed in front of a big marble frieze of the Greek gods. She was making this weird growling noise.

Theo's face was white and I was feeling pretty unnerved myself.

"You boys have been giving us problems." Mrs, Dodds accused us.

:"So sorry ma'am, it won't happen again." Theo said nervously.

Something told me she wasn't talking about Nancy.

She tugged on the cuffs of her leather jacket.

"Did you really think you would get away with it?"

The look in her eyes was beyond mad. It was evil.

She's a teacher, I thought nervously. It's not like she can hurt us. That didn't do anything to reassure me.

"I'll-I'll be better, ma'am." Theo said trembling in fear.

Thunder shook the building. "We are not fools, Jackson," Mrs. Dodds said. "It was only a matter of time before we found you out. Confess, and you will suffer less pain."

I didn't know what she was talking I figured it wasn't a good idea to let her know that.

"Well?" she demanded.

Unfortunately Theo had other plans; "Ma'am, I don't..."

"Your time is up," she hissed.

Then the weirdest thing happened. Her eyes took on a demonic glow. Her fingers stretched, turning into razor sharp talons. Her jacket melted into large, leathery wings. She wasn't human. She was a shriveled demon with bat wings and claws and a mouth full of yellow fangs, and she was trying to kill us.

Then things got even stranger.

Mr. Brunner, who'd been out in front of the museum a minute before, wheeled his chair into the doorway of the gallery, holding two pens in his hand.

"What ho, Theseus, Perseus!" he shouted, and tossed the pens through the air with perfect precision the Pen landing in the palm of my hand. The craziest thing happened; the very moment the pen hit my hand it turned into a three foot long bronze sword. The Greek word Anaklusmos was engraved in the blade, that I somehow knew meant Riptide. I didn't have much time to ponder my revelation as Mrs. Dodds lunged at Theseus.

No matter how much he annoyed me I couldn't let him die. So I lunged at the weird demon thing attacking my brother. I swung my sword and it sliced through the creature's wing removing it completely.

Mrs. Dodds careened towards the ground where Percy was standing.

With a yelp, Theo rolled out of the way of Mrs. Dodds talons and he snatched the ballpoint pen out of the air, but when it hit his hand it too became a sword. I rushed to my brothers side and we both stood facing towards Mrs. Dodds with our swords in hand.

Mrs. Dodds spun toward us with a murderous look in her eyes. I glared at her determinedly as She snarled,

"Die, boys!"

And she flew straight at me. Absolute terror ran through my body. I swung the sword with a grace I never knew I had.

The blades of our swords hit her at the same time, Theo hit her shoulder and mine pierced her stomach and passed clean through her body as if she was made of water. Hisss! Mrs. Dodds evaporated before our eyes, like a sand castle in a power fan.

She exploded into yellow powder, vaporized on the spot, leaving nothing but the smell of sulfur a dying screech and a chill of evil lingered in the air, it felt as if she was still in the shadows watching us with her glowing red eyes.

We were alone.

There was a ballpoint pen in our hands.

Mr. Brunner wasn't there. Nobody was there but us.

Theo turned to me shakily and said; "Did that really just happen?"

"You mean did we just kill our Pre algebra teacher?" I asked rhetorically "Yeah we did."

"Oh thank God!" Theo exclaimed. "I thought we ate some magic mushrooms or something."

I snorted before uncapping the pen again and watching as it turned into a sword once again. "Fascinating, I muttered before recapping it.

I turned to my brother; "Shall we head back?"

Grover was sitting by the fountain, a museum map tented over his head. Nancy Bobofit was still standing there, soaked from her swim in the fountain, grumbling to her ugly friends. When she saw me, she said, "I hope Mrs. Kerr whipped your butts."

Theo said, "Who?"

"Our teacher. Duh!"

I blinked. We have no teacher named Mrs. Kerr. Theo asked Nancy what she was talking about.

She just rolled her eyes and turned away.

Theo asked Grover where Mrs. Dodds was.

He said, "Who?"

But he hesitated, and he wouldn't look at me, so I realized he knew what was going on and what she was.

"Not funny, man," Theo told him. "This is serious."

My idiotic brother clearly didn't get that he was trying to hide something; realizing this I quickly shoved Riptide deep in my pocket hiding it from view.

Thunder boomed overhead.

I saw Mr. Brunner sitting under his red umbrella, reading his book, as if he'd never moved.

He looked up, a little distracted. "Ah, that would be my pen. Please bring your own writing utensil in the future, Monsieurs Jackson."

Theseus handed Mr. Brunner his pen. He hadn't even realized he was still holding it.

Mr. Brunner shifted his gaze onto me.

"I believe I let you borrow one of my pens Perseus." He said.

I believe you are mistaken, Sir." I replied evenly.

He fixed me with a glare, before hesitantly nodding his head in acceptance.

"Sir," Theo asked, "where's Mrs. Dodds?"

He stared at him with a confused expression not meeting our eyes."Who?"

"The other chaperone. Mrs. Dodds. The pre-algebra teacher." I resisted the urge to facepalm at his obliviousness to the fact they were trying to hide this.

He frowned and sat forward, looking slightly worried. "Percy, there is no Mrs. Dodds on this trip. As far as I know, there has never been a Mrs. Dodds at Yancy Academy. Are you feeling alright?"


	2. Who Am I?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any related characters.**

 **Parts of this chapter are taken directly from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.**

As soon as Mr. Brunner was out of sight Theo turned to glare at me.

"Why didn't you give him his Pen back," Theo demanded of me.

I leered at his stupidity and replied; "They're obviously trying to hide something, and I'm not about to give up our biggest clue."

"Oh," was his ineloquent reply. "Can I see it?"

I snorted. "Absolutely not."

"But.." "I mean.." "Come on.. I'm clearly better at wielding it, after all I'm the one who vanquished the Monster" he said cockily.

I turned to him my eyes practically glowing; "You!"

"Ha! The only thing you would do is lose it!"

"Not true!" he protested.

"The pen is mine!" I snarled protectively, "You already lost yours!"

Theo looked at me with hurt eyes; "Fine!" he roared "I'll figure this out on my own!"

"You!" I laughed. "You won't be able to figure out anything.

And with that I spun on my heel and walked away from my idiot of a brother.

It was as if Ms. Dodds had never existed. Theo kept asking everyone about her and everyone acted as if she never existed. Theo finally gave up on getting the Pen from me.

I on the other hand; I found myself spending all my time either practicing with my sword in solitude; or in the Library. Doing what? studying Greek, I was baffled at how I could understand it. It seemed like it was the key to discovering my powers. I soon became so consumed by it; the rest of my grades slipped. While except for Mr. Brunner's class. I couldn't help but take his class more seriously, he had said it would be life or death for me and I found myself agreeing with him.

When I was called in for a meeting with the Principal; I called him a llithios. I think it meant idiot in Greek but it came almost as naturally as breathing. I was informed I would not be allowed to return to Yancy next year.

Where as I became more antisocial and used my time productively. Theo on the other hand became very uptight and even more prone to anger, he was constantly snapping at Grover's throat and picking fights with Nancy and her gang.

The next day were our finals, but I couldn't bring myself to care so much. I was moving on to much greater things. The only final I even bothered studying for, was Mr. Brunners. During my studying I came across a reference to servants of Hades known as Furries. Could this be what attacked us? The description was surprisingly apt.

I decided to ask Mr. Brunner about Furries, under the guise of studying. I knew this would be my last chance to find out the answers to my questions from Mr. Brunner. So with that in mind I set off towards his office.

I walked downstairs to the faculty offices. Most of them were dark and empty, but Mr. Brunner's door was ajar, light from his window stretching across the hallway floor.

I was three steps from the door handle when I heard voices inside the office. Mr. Brunner asked a question. A voice that was definitely Grover's said "... worried about Percy and Theo, sir."

I froze.

This was my chance to figure things out.

I inched closer.

"... alone this summer," Grover was saying. "I mean, a Kindly One in the school! Now that we know for sure, and they know too-"

So it was a Fury that attacked us, I knew it. Curious to find out more I pushed the door open ever so slightly and crept into the corner of the room.

"We would only make matters worse by rushing him," Mr. Brunner said. "We need the boy to mature more."

"But they may not have time. The summer solstice dead-line- "

"Will have to be resolved without them, Grover. Let them enjoy their ignorance while they still can."

"Sir, Theo saw her... ."

"His imagination," Mr. Brunner insisted. "The Mist over the students and staff will be enough to convince him of that."

"Sir, I ... I can't fail in my duties again." Grover's voice was choked with emotion. "You know what that would mean."

"You haven't failed, Grover," Mr. Brunner said kindly. "I should have seen her for what she was. Now let's just worry about keeping Percy and Theo alive until next fall, they're scent is powerful,"

"Chiron they're really strong.." "Like big three strong?." he said nervously as if those words were a criminal offense.

Surely he didn't mean Chiron trainer of heroes? The Satyr from Hercules?

"They are powerful, and like all Demigod's will go to camp." Chiron replied calmly

Demigods? Surely they didn;t mean.. Like Hercules? That would be crazy. Right? But then again a Fury is from Greek Mythology...

Could they really be Demigods?

And what does Big Three mean? Zeus, Poseidon and Hades?

One of them was his parent?

I remembered how the water grabbed Nancy and how I turned my desk into a puddle in 4th grade. Could I be the son of Poseidon?

Suddenly Chiron raised his head to look at the corner Percy was standing in.

"Someone is watching us!" He exclaimed to Grover.

"Thank you for the help, Sir" Grover bleated?

"Of course, anytime Mr. Underwood." Mr. Brunner said with a faint smile.

I wasn't sure how he couldn't see me, but I wasn't about to stick around and find out. I crept out of the room, and saw a Centaur? Exit behind me holding a rather large bow..

I sprinted back to the dorm room. I grabbed my brother's shoulder and dragged him away before Grover came back.

"What was that for?" he protested indignantly.

I relayed the conversation I overheard to him up unto the point they mentioned big three, I didn't want to share my outlandish theory until I knew it was right.

"Then what?" Theo asked.

"Nothing.. I didn't hear anything else," I told him.

"This is extremely important, Do Not Tell Anyone!" I ordered him.

That night I had the oddest dream. In my dream, I stood in a dark cavern before a gaping pit. Gray mist creatures churned all around me, whispering rags of smoke that I somehow knew were the spirits of the dead. They tugged at my clothes, trying to pull me back, but I felt compelled to walk forward to the very edge of the chasm.

The swirling black chasm was tantalizing, I wanted to reach out and touch it.

A deep gravelly voice boomed in the darkness A voice so terrifying it would make the gods themselves flee in terror.

"Help me." it roared. "Help me rise again and I will give you power beyond your wildest imagination.'

"We will rule"

"Just give yourself to me and we will be unstoppable."

I woke up in a cold sweat and after a long shower prepared for my day.

On the bus ride home with Theo and Grover Theo decided to be insubordinate.

Theo said, "Looking for Kindly Ones?"

Grover nearly jumped out of his seat. "Wha-what do you mean?"

Theo told him about me eavesdropping on him and Mr. Brunner the night before the exam.

I turned to glare at him " I told you not to tell," I hissed.

"Sorry," Theo said unapologetically.

Grover's eye twitched. "How much did you hear?"

"Oh ... not much. What's the summer solstice dead-line? Theo asked.

He winced. "Look, Percy ... I was just worried for you, see? I mean, hallucinating about demon math teachers ..."

"Grover-" Theo said placatingly.

"And I was telling Mr. Brunner that maybe you were overstressed or something, because there was no such person as Mrs. Dodds, and ..."

I snorted. "Grover, you're an awful liar."

His ears turned pink.

From his shirt pocket, he fished out two grubby business cards. "Just take these, okay? In case you need me this summer."

The card was in fancy script, which was murder on my dyslexic eyes, but I finally made out something like:

Grover Underwood

Keeper

Half-Blood Hill

Long Island, New York

(800) 009-0009

"What's Half-" Theo asked.

"Don't say it aloud!" he yelped. "That's my, um ... sum-mer address."

I laughed, 'This is the camp you were talking about?" "We're Demigods?"

"H-How did you know that?" Grover asked in astonishment.

Theo looked at me in puzzlement.

"I heard the entire conversation," I said with a roll of my eyes.

There was a huge grinding noise under our feet. Black smoke poured from the dashboard and the whole bus filled with a smell like rotten eggs. The driver cursed and limped the Greyhound over to the side of the highway.

After a few minutes clanking around in the engine compartment, the driver announced that we'd all have to get off. Grover, Theo and I filed outside with everybody else.

We were on a stretch of country road-no place you'd notice if you didn't break down there. On our side of the highway was nothing but maple trees and litter from passing cars. On the other side, across four lanes of asphalt shimmering with afternoon heat, was an old-fashioned fruit stand.

The stuff on sale looked really good: heaping boxes of bloodred cherries and apples, walnuts and apricots, jugs of cider in a claw-foot tub full of ice. There were no customers, just three old ladies sitting in rocking chairs in the shade of a maple tree, knitting the biggest pair of socks I'd ever seen.

I mean these socks were the size of sweaters, but they were clearly socks. The lady on the right knitted one of them. The lady on the left knitted the other. The lady in the middle held an enormous basket of electric-blue yarn.

All three women looked ancient, with pale faces wrinkled like fruit leather, silver hair tied back in white bandannas, bony arms sticking out of bleached cotton dresses. The weirdest thing was, they seemed to be looking right at me. I looked over at Grover to say something about this and saw that the blood had drained from his face. His nose was twitching.

"Grover?" Theo said. "Hey, man-"

"Tell me they're not looking at either of you. They are, aren't they?" Grover trembled looking at us,

"Yeah. Weird, huh? You think those socks would fit me?" Theo asked

"Not funny, Percy. Not funny at all."

The old lady in the middle took out a huge pair of scissors-gold and silver, long-bladed, like shears, and made to cut a string. I heard Grover catch his breath.

"We're getting on the bus," he told me. "Come on."

"What?" I said. "It's a thousand degrees in there, I would rather not melt!"

"Come on!'" He pried open the door and climbed inside, but me and Theo stayed back.

Across the road, the old ladies were still watching me. The middle one cut the yarn, and I swear I could hear that snip across four lanes of traffic. Her two friends balled up the electric-blue socks, leaving me wondering what Giant being they were for.

At the rear of the bus, the driver wrenched a big chunk of smoking metal out of the engine compartment. The bus shuddered, and the engine roared back to life.

The passengers cheered.

"Darn right!" yelled the driver. He slapped the bus with his hat.

"Everybody back on board!"

Once we got going, I started feeling feverish, as if I'd caught the flu. I wasn't the only one, Theo and Grover didn't look much better. Grover was shivering and his teeth were chattering.

"Grover?" Theo asked.

"Yeah?"

"What are you not telling me?" Theo asked.

He dabbed his forehead with his shirt sleeve. "Theo, what did you see back at the fruit stand?"

"You mean the old ladies? What is it about them, man? They're not like ... Mrs. Dodds, are they?"

He grimaced, and I got the feeling that the fruit-stand ladies were something much, much worse than Mrs. Dodds.

He said, "Just tell me what you saw."

"The middle one took out her scissors, and she cut the yarn." He closed his eyes and made a gesture with his fingers that might've been crossing himself, but it wasn't. It was something else, something almost-older.

Grover said, "You saw her snip the cord."

"Yeah. So?" Theo asked.

I figured it out, Grover thought those were the Fates and someone was fated to die.

"You think those were the Fates?" I asked him.

"Don't say their names!" Grover hissed at me. "Names have power."

"What?" Theo asked.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Greek Mythology is real, and our dad is a God."

"This is not happening," Grover mumbled. He started chewing at his thumb. "I don't want this to be like the last time."

"What last time?" I glared at him.

"Always sixth grade. They never get past sixth."

"Grover," I said, trying to understand him. "What are you talking about?"

"You have to go to camp now, Come with me, we don't have time to waste." "Promise me we'll stick together." He pleaded.

"Alright," Theo agreed.


	3. Keeping Secrets

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any related characters.**

 **Parts of this chapter are taken directly from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.**

We got off the bus, and when Grover stopped to use the bathroom we bolted in the other direction.

"Why aren't we staying with Grover," Theo hissed at me, as I pulled him through crowds of people calling for a Taxi.

"Mom could be in danger" I scolded him.

"From What? Why?" he asked panickedly.

"What if another Monster comes for us?" I ask him heatedly.

He looked at me confused.

"Like Mrs. Dodds." I prompted him.

His eyes widened comically.

He asked; "You think a Monster will attack her?"

"I think they could, and we can't take the chance." I told him somberly.

"Then what are we waiting for, let's go!" He said climbing into the Taxi I had hailed. I rolled my eyes at his childish antics before handing the driver a twenty and giving him our address.

"Keep the change." I told him with a smirk.

I couldn't help but be excited to see my Mother. She is probably the coolest person you'll ever meet. Her name is Sally Jackson and she's the best person in the world. Her own parents died in a plane crash when she was five, and she was raised by an uncle who didn't care much about her. She wanted to be a novelist, so she spent high school working to save enough money for a college with a good creative-writing program. Then her uncle got cancer, and she had to quit school her senior year to take care of him. After he died, she was left with no money, no family, and no diploma.

She considered meeting My Dad her lucky break, I tend to disagree, she could have gone somewhere with her life, one something. Instead she met my dad who abandoned her when she got pregnant with Theo. He didn't even have the decency to put a ring on her finger. He was in all likelihood a God but that was irrelevant. He abandoned the most wonderful women in the world.

Our Father wasn't there and because of that she ended up marrying Gabe Ugliano. Gabe Ugly is a world class jerk. He treated my Mom like shit and in all likelihood likely abuses her, My brother calls him Smelly Gabe and it might be the only thing we agree on. He smells rancid, even if he just took a shower.

Between me and Theo's constant fighting and Gabe's laziness, I am ashamed to say we made my Mom's life pretty hard.

I felt guilty for coming back, maybe my Mom would be better off if we had gone with Grover. Didn't Grover say we had a scent that attracted Monsters? Was our coming back here going to just bring the Monsters to Mom?

I was about to suggest we go back to Grover, when Theo turned the knob and pushed open the door.

We walked into our little apartment, hoping Mom would be home from work. Instead, Gabe was in the living room, playing poker with his buddies. The television blared ESPN. Chips and beer cans were strewn all over the carpet.

Hardly looking up, he said around his cigar, "So, you're home."

"Where's my mom?" I demanded.

"Working," he said. "You got any cash?"

That was it. No Welcome back. Good to see you. How has your life been the last six months? I know I shouldn't be surprised but I was. I couldn't understand how such a smart women like my Mom ever saw any good in him.

Gabe had done the impossible while I was gone he actually put on weight. He looked like a tuskless walrus in thrift-store clothes. He had about three hairs on his head, all combed over his bald scalp, as if that made him handsome or something.

He managed the Electronics Mega-Mart in Queens, but he stayed home most of the time. I don't know why he hadn't been fired long before. He was probably friends with the Owner or more likely they owed him money. That's the only reason anyone would tolerate him for that long. He just kept on collecting paychecks, spending the money on cigars that made me nauseous, and on beer, of course. Always beer, he somehow managed to be trunk twenty-four seven. Whenever we were home, he expected us to provide his gambling funds. He called that our "guy secret." Meaning, if either of us told Mom, he would punch our lights out.

"I don't have any cash," I told him with a smirk.

He raised a greasy eyebrow. Gabe was surprisingly adept when it came to Money he always knew how much you had on you.

"You took a taxi from the bus station," he said. Probably paid with a twenty. Got six, seven bucks in change. You guys expect to live under this roof, you ought to carry your own weight. Am I right, Eddie?"

Eddie, the super of the apartment building, looked at me with a twinge of sympathy. I scowled at him, I didn't want his false sympathy."Come on, Gabe," he said. "The kid just got here."

"Am I right?" Gabe repeated his face contorted in anger.

Eddie scowled into his bowl of pretzels. The other two guys passed gas in harmony.

I smirked at him, "I told the driver to keep the change."

He somehow managed to stand without toppling over, it was truly an impressive feat. He waddled on over to me red faced, fists clenched. " Boy!" he yelled "You wasted _my_ money."

He then did something surprising he actually took a swing at me. Of course he was nowhere near as fast as the Fury so I easily evaded his flailing fist.

I wanted nothing more then to pull out my sword and decapitate him but that would be a bad Idea so Instead I calmly dodged his flailing fist and grabbed Theo and moved quietly to our room.

I heard Gabe yell something through the door before returning to his poker game.

I set my suitcase on the floor and laid back on my bed. I saw Theo do the same across the room.

I flashed back to the Fates cutting a string. Could that be Mom's string? Had I doomed her by coming back? Had I saved her?

I had always believed we had the power to choose our own Fate. But now I knew someone was destined to die, could I manipulate it to be Gabe? Oh how I wanted it to be Gabe? Would me killing Gabe right now, save my Mom?

I was interrupted from my musings when I heard my mom's voice. "Percy?" "Theo?"

She opened the bedroom door, and my fears melted.

My mother can make me feel good just by walking into the room. Her eyes sparkle and change color in the light. Her smile is as warm as a quilt. She's got a few gray streaks mixed in with her long brown hair, but I never think of her as old. When she looks at me, it's like she's seeing all the good things about me, none of the bad. I've never heard her raise her voice or say an unkind word to anyone, not even me, Theo or Gabe.

"Oh, My boys"." She hugged me tight, before releasing me and grabbing Theo "I can't believe it. You've both grown since Christmas!"

Her red-white-and-blue Sweet on America uniform smelled like the best things in the world: chocolate, licorice, and all the other stuff she sold at the candy shop in Grand Central. She'd brought us each a huge bag of "free samples," the way she always did when I came home.

We all sat together on the edge of my bed. While I attacked the blueberry sour strings, she ruffled our hair and demanded to know everything we hadn't put in our letters. She didn't mention anything about us getting expelled. She didn't seem to care about that. But were we okay? Were her little boys doing all right?

From the other room, Gabe yelled, "Hey, Sally-how about some bean dip, huh?"

I gritted my teeth and stuck my hand in my pocket wrapping my fingers around my Sword in it's Pen form.

My mom is the nicest lady in the world. She should've been married to a millionaire, not some jerk like Gabe, or an uncaring God.

For her sake, I tried to sound upbeat about my last days at Yancy Academy. I told her I wasn't that upset about the expulsion. I'd lasted almost the whole year this time. I'd done great in Latin. And Theo told her the fights hadn't been as bad as the headmaster said. I hadn't hated Yancy academy, honestly. I hesitated thinking about Grover and Mr. Brunner.

Until that trip to the museum ...

"What?" my mom asked. Her eyes tugged at my conscience, trying to pull out the secrets. "Did something scare you?"

"No, Mom."

I felt awful lying. I knew it was selfish of me but I couldn't let her worry. I didn't want her to find out the truth, she would make us leave again leaving her unprotected. I just wanted my Normal boring life back. I really did want to tell her about Mrs. Dodds and the Fates, but I thought it would cause her to send us away again

She pursed her lips, and turned to look at Theo who was silent for once in his life. She knew we were holding back, but she didn't push us.

"I have a surprise for you," she said. "We're going to the beach."

My eyes widened. "Montauk?" Theo asked.

"Three nights-same cabin." she replied smiling

"When?" I asked.

She smiled. "As soon as I get changed."

I smiled despite the craziness going on around me. We hadn't been to Montauk the last two summers, because Gabe said there wasn't enough money.

Gabe appeared in the doorway and growled, "Bean dip, Sally? Didn't you hear me?"

My hands found my sword once again as my grip tightened, but I met my mom's eyes and I understood she was offering us a deal: be nice to Gabe for a little while. Just until she was ready to leave for Montauk. Then we would get out of here.

"I was on my way, honey," she told Gabe. "We were just talking about the trip."

Gabe's eyes got small. "The trip? You mean you were serious about that?"

"I knew it," Theo muttered. "He won't let us go."

"Of course he will," my mom said evenly. "Your stepfather is just worried about money. That's all. Besides," she added, "Gabriel won't have to settle for bean dip. I'll make him enough seven-layer dip for the whole weekend. Guacamole. Sour cream. The works."

Gabe softened a bit. "So this money for your trip ... it comes out of your clothes budget, right?"

"Yes, honey," my mother said.

"And you won't take my car anywhere but there and back."

"We'll be very careful."

Gabe scratched his double chin. "Maybe if you hurry with that seven-layer dip." He pause before his eyes widened as if he had his first brilliant idea. "And maybe if the kids apolo- _hic-_ gizes for interrupting my poker game."

Maybe I could remove your man parts with my Sword I thought you might be nicer .

But my mom's eyes warned me not to make him mad.

Why did she put up with this guy? I wanted to scream. Why did she care what he thought?

"I'm sorry," I muttered. "I'm really sorry _Dad._ I interrupted your incredibly important poker game. Please go back to it right now." Gabe's eyes narrowed. His tiny brain was probably trying to detect the sarcasm in my statement.

"And You?" Gabe asked turning to Theo.

He grit his teeth, stammering "Sorry for interrupting you."

"Yeah, whatever," he decided.

He went back to his game.

"Thank you, Boys," my mom said. "Once we get to Montauk, we'll talk more about... whatever you've forgotten to tell me, okay?"

For a moment, I could have sworn, she knew what we left out. She knew we were Demigods, She knew our father was a God.

But then her smile returned, and I figured I must have been paranoid. She ruffled my hair and went to make Gabe his seven-layer dip.

The moment she left the room, Theo closed the door. "Why aren't we telling her?"

'She'll send us away again, She'll do anything to keep us safe." I scowled. "If we're not here she's easy prey to any Monsters." I told him although I was really trying to reassure myself.

"Right,so don't tell her anything?" He questioned me.

"Not a thing." I affirmed.

An hour later we were ready to leave.

Gabe took a break from his poker game long enough to watch me lug my mom's bags to the car. He kept griping and groaning about losing her cooking-and more important, his '78 Camaro for the whole weekend.

"Not a scratch on this car, brain boy," he warned me as I loaded the last bag.

He always hated me more then my brother for some reason and found some way to blame everything on me. It was probably my natural snark and how I taunted him, that made me ever so endearing to him. "Not one little scratch." he warned.

I resisted the urge to snort, like I'd be the one driving. I was thirteen. But that didn't matter to Gabe. If a seagull so much as pooped on his paint job, he'd find a way to blame me.

While he was walking back towards the apartment building, I saw Theo make the hand gesture I'd seen Grover make on the bus, a sort of warding-off-evil gesture, a clawed hand over my heart, then a shoving movement toward Gabe. I watched in awe as the screen door slammed shut so hard it whacked him in the butt and sent him flying up the staircase as if he'd been shot from a cannon.

We quickly got in the Camaro and told Mom to step on it.

Our rental cabin was on the south shore, way out at the tip of Long Island. It was a little pastel box with faded curtains, half sunken into the dunes. There was always sand in the sheets and spiders in the cabinets, and most of the time the sea was too cold to swim in.

I loved the place.

We'd been going there since I was a baby. My mom had been going even longer. She never exactly said, but I knew why the beach was special to her.

It was the place where she'd met our father Another thing pointing towards our Father being Poseidon.

As we got closer to Montauk, she seemed to grow younger, years of worry and work disappearing from her face. Her eyes turned the color of the sea. We got there at sunset, opened all the cabin's windows, and went through our usual cleaning routine. We walked on the beach, fed blue corn chips to the seagulls, and munched on blue jelly beans, blue saltwater taffy, and all the other free samples my mom had brought from work.

When it got dark, we made a fire. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. Mom told me stories about when she was a kid, back before her parents died in the plane crash. She told me about the books she wanted to write someday, when she had enough money to quit the candy shop.

Eventually, Theo asked about my _favorite_ person, my father.

Mom's eyes went all misty. I figured she would tell me the same things she always did, and I was tired of hearing them. "He was kind, Theo," she said. "Tall, handsome, and powerful. But gentle, too. You both have his black hair Percy, and you both have his green eyes."

Mom fished a blue jelly bean out of her candy bag. "I wish he could see you, both. He would be so proud."

"How old was I?" Theo asked. "I mean ... when he left?"

She watched the flames. "I met him at this cabin in December, we spent two wonderful weeks together," She sighed wistfully. "And he gave me the most wonderful gift he anyone could ever give me;" She turned and smiled at me; "That was you Percy."

"After those two weeks were up. He had to leave." she continued. "I saw him once again here in Montauk shortly after you were born Percy." "It was then he gave me you, Theo." "He had to leave again, soon after and was lost at Sea." She said tears cascading down her cheeks.

"But... he knew me as a baby." Theo asked.

"No, honey. He knew I was expecting a baby, but he never saw you. He had to leave before you were born."

I felt angry at my father. Maybe it was stupid, but I resented him for being a god. I resented for making my Mom fall in love with him. Most of all I hated him for faking his death and making her mourn for him.

He'd left us, and now we were stuck with Smelly Gabe.

"Are you going to send us away again?" Theo asked her. "To another boarding school?"

She pulled a marshmallow from the fire. "I don't know, honey." Her voice was heavy. "I think ... I think we'll have to do something."

"Because you don't want us around?" I regretted the words as soon as they were out.

My mom's eyes welled with tears. She took my hand, squeezed it tight. "Oh, Percy, no. I-I have to, honey. For your own good. I have to send you away."

"Why?" Theo asked.

I thought Yancy Academy would be far enough away. I thought you'd finally be safe."

"Safe from what?" I asked.

"I've tried to keep you as close to me as I could," my mom said. "They told me that was a mistake. But there's only one other option, The place your father wanted me to send you. And I just... I just can't stand to do it."

"My father wanted us to go to a special school?" Theo asked.

"Not a school," she said softly. "A summer camp." My head was spinning, she knew about Camp Half Blood. She knew Daddy dearest was a god and still loved him. I found myself doing something I never thought I would; I found myself angry at my Mom, how could she let that Bastard do this to her?

"For good? But if it's only a summer camp ..." Theo asked.

"I'm sorry, Theo," she said, looking him in the eyes. "But I can't talk about it. I-I couldn't send you to that place. It might mean saying good-bye to you for good."

"You _llithios_ , she's talking about Camp Half Blood." I said whacking the side of his head.I probably shouldn't have said that but I had realized the Monsters came for me and not her. So rather then staying to protect her, I should be running the opposite direction. Me going to camp wouldn't just keep me safe, it would keep her safe.

My Mom's eyes widened. "How do you know about that?"

I fished the business card out of my pocket and handed it to her.

"Where's Grover?" she asked panickedly.

"We left him at the bus station." I told her

"She quickly stood up, " We need to go now."

We hurriedly put shoes on and rushed to the car. We left our stuff scattered around the cabin, the only things we brought were the clothes on our backs. I of course had my sword in my pocket.

We had all climbed in, when Grover trotted over. He wasn't wearing any pants,his legs were covered in fur and he had Hooves instead of feet.

"Your a Satyr." I accused.

He ignored me and climbed into the backseat of the Camaro next to me and Theo.

"It's right behind me, Go!" Grover shouted at my Mom.

She stepped on the gas and we sped off into the Stormy night.


	4. It Rains Diamonds

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any related characters.**

 **Parts of this chapter are taken directly from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.**

We tore through the night along dark country roads. Wind slammed against the Camaro. Rain lashed the wind-shield. I didn't know how Mom could see anything, but she kept her foot on the gas.

After we had been on the road for awhile my curiosity finally got the best of me.

"What exactly is chasing us?" I asked.

Grover looked at me, "I can't say," he said apologetically. "Because.."

"Names have power." I interrupted him.

An awkward silence fell over the car until Theo spoke again.

"Urn ... what are you, exactly?" Theo asked.

"That doesn't matter right now." Grover relied distractedly.

"It doesn't matter? From the waist down, my best friend is a donkey-" Theo said heatedly.

I marveled at my brother's stupidity, he knew Greek Mythology was real and still didn't know Grover was a Satyr.

Grover bleated. "Goat!" he cried.

"What?"Theo snarled.

"He's a Satyr," I interrupted annoyed.

After a moment I looked at Griver. "What can you tell us about who's after us?" I asked him.

"Oh, it's nobody much," Grover said, obviously still miffed about Theo's donkey comment. "Just the Lord of the Dead and a few of his blood-thirstiest minions."

"What? Hades is after us?" Theo asked alarmed.

We all turned to glare at him.

The earth began to shake, tremors vibrating all around us. A razor sharp 1000 carat ruby shot, out of ground and flew threw the window embedding itself in Grover's leg.

"Aaugh!" Grover cried out with blood flowing down his leg. His furry leg had now turned red from all the blood.

Gabe's Camaro was now completely ruined. There were Gemstones embedded in every part of it. The ground was still shaking and in the last ten minutes we had moved less at most one-hundred yards.

The car was catapulted through the air by a particularly vicious we were free falling a lightning bolt crashed into the hood, lighting the entire car ablaze.

We hit the ground hard, crimson flames licking at our faces. It was probably the adrenaline but I was unfazed by the flames eating away at my clothes. Grover wa unconscious whether from blood loss or the impact of our fall I didn't know.

"Some protector he turned out to be" I muttered to myself.

"Percy! Theo!" Mom shouted, "Are you okay?"

I'm fine," I responded shaking my head to clear the cobwebs.

"I'm here." Theo moaned.

"We have to go." she told us crawling out of the upside down car.

Theo climbed out first, grabbing Grover's legs and dragging Grove's broken form behind him. I quickly followed him grabbing his arms.

We made our way up the hill painstakingly slowly. My arms hurt from carrying Grover, and we had only made it maybe 10 feet in what had been at least 10 minutes.

All of a sudden the tremors slowed down and the ground split open behind us. A swirling black abyss was left in it's place.

Out of the black abyss, a Hellhound came forth. It looked very similar to a Black Mastiff, except it was ten feet tall with six inch teeth. Yup, _definitely_ a Mastiff.

I turned to Theo, " You get them to safety, I'll hold him off."

"But.." He protested.

"Get them to the camp, bring backp."

"I'll stay with you!" he declared.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Without a weapon you'll get yourself killed." I uncapped Riptide. "Besides I'm the only one with a Sword." I told him much more confident then I felt.

"Be careful, Percy." Mom told me kissing me on my cheek.

I nodded before directing my attention to the Hellhound.

I charged the Hellhound with my sword raised, I dove at it's front right leg, my sword slicing into it's knee, it whimpered in pain.

In it's pain it swiped a giant paw at me. It connected with my ribcage I flew 10 feet and crashed into a tree with a thud. It charged at me, teeth bared snarling.

I don't know why but I looked into it's eyes. It met my gaze and it whimpered? It slowed down ever so slightly.

I knew this was my chance so I recapped my sword.

It was now towering over me, it's face inches above my own. His paw on my stomach. The Hellhound's drool dripped onto my face. I was covered in so much saliva I could barely see.

I placed the pen on it's ribcage. The foolish mutt didn't even notice the tiny press of a pen.

I uncapped Riptide the force of the blade expanding, shredding it's body as if it was paper. The Hellhound refused to let me escape unscathed as it reflexively unsheathed its claws into my stomach.

It vanished into golden dust. Riptide clattered to the ground besides me. I laid there exhausted, in pain for who knows how long. I had done it. I beat the Hellhound.

I snapped to attention when I heard my brother scream.

I shot up wiping my face of all the Hellhound had covered me in. I looked to the top of the hill and saw my brother fighting the Minotaur. I sprinted up the hill. Ashamedly leaving Riptide behind in my haste.

Theo had an idea-a very very stupid idea. He put his back to the big pine tree and waved his red jacket in front of the Minotaur. My instincts kicked in and I ran and dove in front of him. The Minotaur's horn pierced my shoulder.

I screamed and fell to the ground in agony. The Minotaur's horn was no longer attached to it's body it had gone through my shoulder and was deep enough the tip was sticking out the other side. I was losing consciousness, fast. My brother ripped the horn out of my shoulder, I cried out in pain as blood rose up from the wound painting me crimson.

The last thing I saw before I finally succumbed to unconsciousness was my brother plunge the Horn into the Monster's chest and then it vanished into a cloud of Golden Dust.

 **A/N: I know Poseidon is the God of Earthquakes but according to the Rick Riordan Wiki, Hades can also cause Earthquakes.**

" **Earthquake Generation: When Percy infuriates him in The Lightning Thief, Hades generates a massive earthquake that shakes his huge throne room, and is felt miles above him, in Los Angeles, devastating the city."**


	5. It's All My Fault

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson or any related characters.**

 **Parts of this chapter are taken directly from Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.**

When I finally came around, there was nothing weird about my surroundings, except that they were nicer than I was used to. I was sitting in a deck chair on a huge porch, gazing across a meadow at green hills in the distance. The breeze smelled like strawberries. There was a blanket over my legs, a pillow behind my neck. All that was great, but my mouth felt like a scorpion had been using it for a nest. My tongue was dry and nasty and every one of my teeth hurt.

On the table next to me was a tall drink. It looked like iced apple juice, with a green straw and a paper parasol stuck through a maraschino cherry.

My hand was so weak I almost dropped the glass once I got my fingers around it.

"Careful," a familiar voice said.

I turned and saw Theo standing there wearing cargo pants and a bright orange T-Shirt that said CAMP HALF-BLOOD on it. He was trembling as if was nervous.

"You saved my life." Theo told me ringing his hands. "A-after I failed-"

He stopped abruptly, before handing me a shoebox. "I thought you might want this."

Inside was a black-and-white bull's horn, the base jagged from being broken off, the horn had a crimson stain from dried blood. _My blood,_ I thought grimly.

"I thought you might want it-" Theo said. "You know, as a keepsake."

I did want it, but not as a keepsake. I wanted it as a reminder that I wasn't good enough. I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't fast enough. I wanted to keep it as motivation to never again be not enough so next time I could protect Theo and-."

I turned on him. "Where's Mom?"

He quivered under my intense glare. "I-I'm so sorry-" he said breaking into tears. "T-The MInotaur got her," "S-she vanished in a golden light." He told me trembling.

I wanted to scream, I really did, but, I was too weak to do that. I wanted to blame him, but I couldn't. Had I not rested after my fight with the Hellhound then I might have been able to save her. So instead of yelling at him, I looked across the meadow.

I stared across the meadow. There were groves of trees, a winding stream, acres of strawberries spread out under the blue sky. The valley was surrounded by rolling hills, and the tallest one, directly in front of us, was the one with the huge pine tree on top. Even that looked beautiful in the sunlight. My mother was gone.

The whole world should be black and cold. Nothing should look Mother was gone and it was my fault.

I said, "It wasn't your fault."

"Yes, it was. I was supposed to protect her." Theo said indignantly.

"I shouldn't have left you alone." I protested "It's my fault."

"You had to kill that dog, I was supposed to get Mom to safety, It's my fault." Theo said adamantly.

"I-" I started but was overcome by a spell of dizziness, I felt myself begin to sway.

"Don't strain yourself," Theo said.

He helped me hold my glass and put the straw to my lips.

I recoiled at the taste, because I was expecting apple juice. It wasn't that at all. It was chocolate-chip cookies. Liquid cookies. And not just any cookies-my mom's homemade blue chocolate-chip cookies, buttery and hot, with the chips still melting. Drinking it, my whole body felt warm and good, full of energy. My grief didn't go away, but I felt as if my mom had just brushed her hand against my cheek, given me a cookie the way she used to when I was small, and told me everything was going to be okay.

Before I knew it, I'd drained the glass. I stared into it, sure I'd just had a warm drink, but the ice cubes hadn't even melted.

"Was it good?" Theo asked.

I nodded.

"What did it taste like?" He asked.

"Mom's homemade blue chocolate chip cookies."

"That does sound really good." he said with a sigh.

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"It's Nectar, the drink of the Gods." Theo told me. "It helps with healing, but it can apparently cause you to burst into flames, if ate normally."

"You feeling okay?" he asked me,

I scowled. "As well as I can be."

He nodded his head in agreement. "Come on, we have to tell Chiron you're awake."

"Mr. Brunner?"

"He's the camp director." Theo said.

The porch wrapped all the way around the farmhouse.

My legs felt wobbly, trying to walk that far. Theo offered to carry the Minotaur horn, but I held on to it. I refused to show weakness, how was I to become stronger if I always turned to my brother for help? I wasn't going to let it go.

As we came around the opposite end of the house, I caught my breath.

We must've been on the north shore of Long Island, because on this side of the house, the valley marched all the way up to the water, which glittered about a mile in the distance. Between here and there, I simply couldn't process everything I was seeing. The landscape was dotted with buildings that looked like ancient Greek architecture-an open-air pavilion, an amphitheater, a circular arena-except that they all looked brand new, their white marble columns sparkling in the sun. In a nearby sandpit, a dozen high school-age kids and satyrs played volleyball. Canoes glided across a small lake. Kids in bright orange T-shirts like Grover's were chasing each other around a cluster of cabins nestled in the woods. Some shot targets at an archery range. Others rode horses down a wooded trail, and, unless I was hallucinating, some of their horses had wings.

Down at the end of the porch, two men sat across from each other at a card table. A blond-haired girl was leaning on the porch rail next to them.

The man facing me was small, but porky. He had a red nose, big watery eyes, and curly hair so black it was almost purple. He looked like a cherub who'd turned middle-aged in a trailer park. He wore a tiger pattern Hawaiian shirt, and he would've fit right in at one of Gabe's poker parties, except I got the feeling this guy could've easily out-gambled even my step-father.

"That's Mr. D," Theo murmured to me. "He's the camp director. Be polite. The girl, that's Annabeth Chase. She's just a camper, but she's been here longer than just about anybody. And you already know Chiron...

He pointed at the guy whose back was to me.

"Mr. Brunner!" I cried.

The Ex-Latin teacher turned and smiled at me. His eyes had that mischievous glint they sometimes got in class when he pulled a pop quiz and made all the multiple choice answers B.

"Ah, good, Percy," he said. "Now we have four for pinochle."

Mr. Brunner offered me a chair to the right of Mr. D, who looked at me with bloodshot eyes and heaved a great sigh. "Oh, I suppose I must say it. Welcome to Camp Half-Blood. There. Now, don't expect me to be glad to see you."

"Uh, thanks." I scooted a little farther away from him because, if there was one thing I had learned from living with Gabe, it was how to tell when an adult has been hitting the happy juice. If Mr. D was a stranger to alcohol, I was a satyr.

"Annabeth?" Mr. Brunner called to the blond girl.

She came forward and Mr. Brunner introduced us. "This young lady nursed you back to health, Percy. Annabeth, my dear, why don't you go check on Percy's bunk? We'll be putting him in cabin eleven for now."

Annabeth said, "Sure, Chiron."

She was probably my age, maybe a couple of inches taller, and a whole lot more athletic looking. With her deep tan and her curly blond hair, she was almost exactly what I thought a stereotypical California girl would look like, except her eyes ruined the image. They were startling gray, like storm clouds. Her gaze passed over me, as if she were analyzing the best way to take me down in a fight.

She ganced at the MInotaur horn and I imagined she would say something about how weak I was for getting impaled and having to be nursed back to health for so long or something like that.

Instead she just said, "You drool when you sleep."

"Theo," Mr. D said impatiently, "are you playing or not?"

"Yes Sir!" Theo said taking the fourth chair.

"You do know how to play pinochle?" Mr. D eyed me suspiciously.

"I'm afraid not," I said.

"I'm afraid not, sir," he said.

"Sir," I repeated stiffly.

I was liking the camp director less and less.

"Well," he told me, "it is, along with gladiator fighting and Pac-Man, one of the greatest games ever invented by humans. I would expect all civilized young men to know the rules."

"I'm sure the boy can learn," Chiron said.

The camp director dealt the cards.

"Young man, are you bidding or not?" Mr. D asked sharply.

"What?" I asked.

He explained, impatiently, how you bid in pinochle, and so I did.

"So Percy," Chiron said, "What all do you know?"

I know Greek mythology is real, I'm a Demigod, and I'm assuming Camp Half-Blood is a camp for Demigods." I said.

"Finally someone who's not a complete idiot," Mr. D muttered.

Chiron looked impressed, he gave me that look he gave me when ever I did well on a test.

"Oh, a royal marriage. Trick! Trick!" Mr. D cackled as he tallied up his points.

He waved his hand and a goblet appeared on the table, as if the sunlight had bent, momentarily, and woven the air into glass. The goblet filled itself with red wine.

My jaw dropped, but Chiron hardly looked up. "Mr. D," he warned, "your restrictions."

Mr. D looked at the wine and feigned surprise.

"Dear me." He looked at the sky and yelled, "Old habits! Sorry!"

More thunder.

Mr. D waved his hand again, and the wineglass changed into a fresh can of Diet Coke. He sighed unhappily, popped the top of the soda, and went back to his card game.

Chiron winked at me. "Mr. D offended his father a while back, took a fancy to a wood nymph who had been declared off-limits."

"Yes," Mr. D confessed. "Father loves to punish me. The first time, Prohibition. Ghastly! Absolutely horrid ten years! The second time-well, she really was pretty, and I couldn't stay away-the second time, he sent me here. Half-Blood Hill. Summer camp for brats like you. 'Be a better influence,' he told me. 'Work with youths rather than tearing them down.' Ha.' Absolutely unfair."

Mr. D sounded about six years old, like a pouting little kid.

"And ...your father is ..." I asked although I was pretty sure i already knew.

"Di immortales, Chiron," Mr. D said. "I thought you taught this boy the basics. My father is Zeus, of course."

"You're Dionysus," I said. "The god of wine." Mr. D rolled his eyes. "What do they say, these days? Do the children say, 'Well, duh!'?"

"Yes" Chiron replied.

"Then, well, duh! Percy Jackson. Did you think I was Aphrodite, perhaps?"

I wisely decided to stay silent. I had always thought the God's would look more intimidating instead the one I had met reminded me of Gabe. No wonder this world was so screwed up when we had people like him in charge.

After a moment he turned back to his card game. "I believe I win."

"Not quite, Mr. D," Chiron said. He set down a straight, tallied the points, and said, "The game goes to me."

"I'm tired," Mr. D said. "I believe I'll take a nap before the sing-along tonight.

Mr. D turned to me. "Cabin eleven, Percy Jackson. And mind your manners."

With that said he walked inside presumably to take a nap.

Chiron rose from his wheelchair from his wheelchair. But there was something odd about the way he did it. His blanket fell away from his legs, but the legs didn't move. His waist kept getting longer, rising above his belt. He was taller than any man, I realized that it was the front of an animal, muscle and sinew under coarse white fur. And the wheelchair wasn't a chair. It was some kind of container, an enormous box on wheels, and it must've been magic, because there's no way it could've held all of him. A leg came out, long and knobby-kneed, with a huge polished hoof. Then another front leg, then hindquarters, and then the box was empty, nothing but a metal shell with a couple of fake human legs attached.

I stared at the Centaur who had just sprung from the wheelchair: a huge white stallion. But where its neck should be was the upper body of my Latin teacher, smoothly grafted to the horse's trunk.

"What a relief," the centaur said. "I'd been cooped up in there so long, my fetlocks had fallen asleep. Now, come, Percy Jackson. Let's meet the other campers."


End file.
